


Whumptober 2020 - 02 - In the Hands of the Enemy

by DinerGuy



Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Beating, Captured, Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, In the Hands of the Enemy, Interrogation, Ohana, Whump, Whumptober 2020, impossible choices, prove your loyalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinerGuy/pseuds/DinerGuy
Summary: It was an impossible choice: hurt your friend or both be killed. But Rick knew help couldn't be far away. They just had to play the game and hold out long enough for the others to show up.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950892
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	Whumptober 2020 - 02 - In the Hands of the Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> Was going to post this yesterday, but my computer and Wi-Fi decided not to play nice, so here we are (and I can't tell you how much it's bugging me that I'm posting the 2nd fill on the 3rd day).
> 
> Anyway, I technically didn't write this one for Whumptober, but I've been sitting on it for months... That's the only reason it's even this long. xD Initially, I wrote it because I had the idea of putting two of the characters in this scenario, and I thought it would be interesting to see Rick being the one to have to deal with being put in the situation with Higgins. I wanted to explore the scenario and how it would affect him; he's a tough, capable guy who is also a marshmallow and sort of the unofficial medic/caretaker of the group. Plus, I love the brother/sister relationship he and Higgins have going on, which just added to me wanting to write the idea.
> 
> But... then I started second-guessing the whole thing, which led to it just sitting on my computer and never seeing the light of day. There are a few reasons I wasn't sure about sharing it, but then Whumptober rolled around again, and I thought it was a good time to finally share it - except even now I'm still unsure about it and just trusting a few good friends' advice that it's okay to post.

"You really thought you could pull one over on us?"

Rick swallowed as the pistol swung up to point at Higgins' face. In the list of ways this case could have gone wrong, this definitely fell into the "very bad" category.

When Rick had agreed to help out as a favor to Magnum and Higgins—they'd ended up with two cases that needed attention at the same time, and T.C. couldn't help due to a scheduled tour at Island Hoppers—he'd expected it to be a simple operation. Watch the warehouse they suspected a gang of carjackers was using, keep an eye out for said carjackers and the client's missing car, move in and… repossess it if they saw an opening or call the cops if they couldn't.

They'd realized something much,  _ much  _ bigger was going on when Higgins had recognized a man going into the warehouse as a wanted terrorist. So, naturally, they'd needed to get a closer look to determine exactly what was going on.

And  _ that  _ was when they'd been caught unawares by the unexpected arrival of several more criminals.

Jules, always quick on her feet, had brightly informed the men that she and Rick were just on their way in and had wanted to scope the place out first; one never could be too careful. They'd heard Daniel Murata was on the island and were there to offer their services as mercenaries.

The plan had seemed to be going pretty well, up until another man had walked in and immediately drawn his gun on Rick and Higgins.

Rick had raised his hands to his sides, and he'd seen Higgins do the same out of the corner of his eye. He hadn't been sure what was going on but knew it was not good. Judging by the expression on her face, Jules had known exactly who the new guy was—and it hadn't appeared to be a good thing.

"What's this, Harris?" Murata had demanded. He'd glanced at Higgins and Rick and then back to the other man in a guarded sort of curiosity.

Harris had just continued to glare at the two in question. "What are they doing here?"

"They heard I was looking for more crew," Murata had replied. "Is there a problem here?"

Shaking his head insistently, Harris had looked back at his boss but kept his gun pointed at Rick and Higgins. "They're playing you," he'd snapped. "They're not on your side at all."

Rick's heart had dropped at the man's words. Somehow, they'd been found out, but he hadn't been sure what he could do about it. With five armed guys in the room, there had been no way he and Jules could have made a move without getting themselves killed. When Rick had glanced back at Murata, the terrorist hadn't looked pleased.

Which, Rick had supposed, made sense given the circumstances.

The look Murata had given his man was nothing short of steely. "What?"

Harris had nodded. "I don't know who they told you they were, but her name's Higgins. We've crossed paths before; she works with that snoopy private eye. What's his name? Thomas Magnum! She's a spy, Murata."

And then Murata turned his glare to Higgins. "You really thought you could pull one over on us?"

Rick swallowed as the pistol Harris was holding swung up to point at Higgins' face, but he quickly shook his head. "Nah, man, you got it wrong. We're both on your side."

"Well," Harris said, glaring at Rick, "I  _ know  _ she's not, and you're clearly working with her." He pointed his pistol at the other man. "Which means you're either a cop or a P.I., too. Which is it?"

Before Rick could come up with a convincing reply, Higgins jumped in. "No need to start shooting anyone," she told Murata. "He's just a hired gun. I needed a way in and thought it would look suspicious if I came alone, so I told him I had a lead on a job that required a partner, and here we are. We've worked together before, and he's never found out. Until now," she added hesitantly.

Rick wanted to ask just what she thought she was doing, but then she glanced over her shoulder and gave him a pointed look that he immediately understood. She was buying time. It really was their only play at this point.

Across from them, Murata looked like he was trying to decide what his next step was.

"It's true," Higgins pressed. "Look, I made a mistake; don't take it out on him."

When the terrorist turned to study Rick coldly, it was all Rick could do not to flick his gaze over to Jules. What was he supposed to do next? Agree with her? That would probably get her shot. But if he claimed she was lying, that would spell trouble for both of them. These guys already knew who she was, but they didn't seem entirely sure about him. Maybe Rick could spin this so they could both make it out safely.

Clearing his throat, Rick managed to give his friend one of the angriest glares he could muster. "You're a  _ spy?" _ he snarled. "Were you trying to get me  _ killed?" _ He clenched his fists, the words seeming to burn in his throat even as he snapped them out. "I ought to kill you myself."

Before Higgins could respond, Murata hummed a thoughtful noise, then gestured to one of his other men standing just past Harris. The goon seemed to know what his boss wanted and stepped forward wordlessly.

The sneer on Murata's face wasn't lost on Rick, but there was no time to process anything before the goon's fist slammed into Higgins' side.

With a small, startled cry of pain, Jules hunched forward over the blow, then stumbled and fell with a breathless gasp as she was shoved roughly to the ground.

Rick had to clench his fists to keep himself from rushing to intervene. He could tell from the way Murata was watching him and not Higgins that the man was testing the story he'd been fed. If Rick showed a single crack in his cover, that would be the end. No, he knew he and Higgins had to play things out, buy as much time as they could—but, although Rick knew that, it was still taking all of his self-control not to break character.

Then Murata cleared his throat, and Rick saw him gesture to the third man, who kicked Higgins in the side—drawing a small grunt from her as she curled in on herself—before stalking back a few steps. The guy then crossed his arms and glared at Rick.

"Get her up," Murata ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument as he stared Rick down. "You say you're not with her? Then prove it. We need to know what she knows about our operation, and you're going to get that information for us."

Unsure of exactly what to do but knowing he couldn't simply ignore the order, Rick stepped over and helped Higgins to her feet. He tried to move roughly, even though he could barely bring himself to yank on her arm as he heard her bite down on a cry of pain.

She faltered as he pulled her upright, stumbling against him in a way that forced Rick to catch her as she fell against his chest. A split second later, he realized she'd done it on purpose when she whispered in his ear, "It's okay."

Rick blinked.

"I texted Magnum," she added quickly, her words so low and fast Rick almost didn't catch them all. "We just have to hold out and give him the time he needs."

Before Rick could fully process her words, the same goon from before stepped forward and threw a rope at him. The sound of metal squeaking caught Rick's attention next, and he glanced over to see one of the other men dragging a chair into the middle of the warehouse floor. One hand still on Higgins' left arm, Rick felt his stomach clench.

Murata lifted an eyebrow at Rick as if the other man should already know what to do. "Tie her up," he ordered. He tilted his head toward the chair as he watched Rick curiously. It was as if he was waiting to see if Rick would follow through or if he could use the opportunity to catch the intruders in their lie.

Rick's stomach plummeted, and he glanced at Higgins beside him. The look on her face was one of cold indifference, an attempt to convince the men—including Rick—that nothing they could do would get to her. Swallowing, Rick couldn't budge the lump in his throat. He felt sick to his stomach, and he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to do it… but he had to.

Magnum and T.C. were probably looking for them already. Jules was right; they just had to hang on long enough. Rick knew it, and he knew he had to do what Murata was telling him to—as much for Jules as for himself. He honestly didn't care what these criminals decided to do to him for not cooperating. Murata had already threatened to shoot him, but, even if the men decided to do something worse to him, Rick had been through a lot over the years. He could handle anything they'd do to  _ him. _

It was what they could do to Jules if he wasn't there to protect her that gave him pause. He didn't want to hurt her—the very idea killed him—but what else could he do? If they were both going to make it out of this alive, he had no choice but to go along with Murata and hope for either rescue or an opening for escape.

Plus, they couldn't let Murata get away; from what Higgins had said, the man was wanted for numerous crimes in multiple countries. If they didn't play the game and wait for backup to arrive, they'd both be dead, and Murata would be free to commit whatever atrocity he had planned next. That was something neither of them could allow to happen. Which meant they had no choice but to go along with the man and keep their eyes open for an opportunity to take him down.

So Rick took a deep breath and did the only thing he could do. He tried to think in terms of the character he was playing: a mercenary who'd been duped by a private investigator. He could do this. He just needed to pretend to be as angry as a man in his character's position would be until help arrived.

He stalked for the chair, barely glancing at Murata's man who was still standing nearby it as he yanked Higgins along with him. As much as he tried not to be too rough, he knew the movement had to be aggravating what she must be feeling from the "test" a few moments before.

Her sharp intake of breath told him he was right, but he didn't stop. He felt her pull against him as she struggled to free herself—they had to make it look good, he supposed—and so he tightened his grip and gave her a small shake. He even managed a threatening growl.

When they neared the chair, he spun Higgins around and pushed her into the seat. Their eyes met, and he could see the quick flicker of encouragement in her gaze. Rick tried to apologize silently, hoping she realized just how sorry he was, and the slight softening of her expression told him she knew what he was trying to say.

Then he swallowed and shifted his grip from her bicep to her forearm as he moved behind her. He couldn't let himself think about what he was doing; stopping to consider it would only make him lose his resolve. So instead, he just forced himself to move forward, grabbing for her right wrist and pulling both of her arms behind the chair.

He used one hand to pin her wrists together as he pulled the rope from where he'd slung it over his shoulder. Wrapping the rough strands around her wrists, he tried to leave it as loose as possible while still making it look believably tight. He was painfully aware of the way Murata's man was standing over him, watching his every move, and Rick knew he couldn't afford to slip up. Mentally apologizing to Jules yet again, he knotted the ends of the rope and then straightened up.

As soon as he'd stepped back, the goon who was standing closest walked over and grabbed Higgins' wrists, pulling her roughly against the back of the chair as he checked Rick's work carefully. He looked over and gave his boss a nod, and Murata smiled coldly.

"Okay, Woods," the terrorist said, using the fake name Higgins had given Rick when introducing them, "we don't have all day, so let's get on with it." He looked at Higgins pointedly. "She knows something about what we're doing on this island, or she wouldn't have convinced you to come in with her. I need to know what she knows—and where her partner is. If she and Magnum know about our operation and he's not here, he could be causing trouble for us right now." He glanced back at Rick. "I want to know where he is and what the two of them know."

Rick took a breath and squared his shoulders as he turned to face Jules.

"And don't think I'm not watching you," Murata added, causing Rick to glance back at him. "You've been convincing so far, but I'll know if you're trying to pull one over on me. Either you're on my team or you're with her and Magnum." There was no doubt what the man thought of the latter option.

"I'll find out what you want to know, don't worry," Rick told him, putting on a sneer as if he was offended the man would doubt him. He didn't bother to point out that threats of physical violence rarely yielded accurate information. It didn't quite seem like the time for it—and he wasn't sure what Murata would do instead if the man believed him. "She played me; I'm going to enjoy this."

Murata grinned. "Good."

Regardless of the front he was putting on, Rick felt his stomach twisting so much he thought he might be physically sick at what he was about to do. But he had to do it. There was no other way. Rick steeled himself and looked back to where Higgins was tied to the chair—where  _ he  _ had tied her. The guilt swamped him even as he clenched his fists and stepped forward.

She was staring at the ground, stone-faced, and didn't look his way.

"What do you and Magnum know about what's going on here?" Rick demanded.

Her head came up at that, but she just glared at him. He was pretty sure she was trying to tell him something by the look in her eyes, and he almost didn't want to interpret what it meant. It wasn't going to make him feel any better about what was coming.

There was no way around it now. He had to do it—and he knew he was going to hate himself afterward, but he had to. Rick closed the few remaining feet between them, and then, before he could change his mind, he lifted his right fist and drove it into Higgins' stomach.

He knew he had to make it look good, but he still relaxed his shoulder as much as possible when throwing the punch. It was the only thing he could do to make the situation any better besides aiming for places he knew would do the least damage, even if there was no way around the pain he knew he was causing her. And then he retracted his arm ever so slightly at the last moment, trying to take the edge off the hit.

When she bent forward, gagging at the blow's impact, it almost did in his resolve. But the eyes he could feel watching him kept Rick going, if only because he knew stopping would spell even worse trouble for his friend.

Rick channeled his anger at the other men into his character, grabbing Higgins' chin and forcing her to look at him. The pain in her eyes, which she was clearly trying to hide, sent more guilt ripping through him as savagely as if someone had just punched  _ him. _ And that immediately made him feel even guiltier because  _ he  _ wasn't the one who'd been hit.

"Tell me where Magnum is," he ordered, glaring at her. When she didn't respond, he used his free hand to slap her across the face. But he angled his body to hide the movement from Murata and the others, letting his fingers glance across her jaw but hitting his own hand to elicit the sharp noise that would be expected from such a blow.

Jules had caught on immediately to what he was doing and followed his movement with a jerk of her head to sell the ruse. Although Rick knew it was faked as well, the small cry of pain she let out still hurt to hear.

"I'm not telling you anything," she gasped out a moment later, lifting her chin defiantly.

"Answer his questions," Murata snapped from behind Rick.

Higgins just looked past Rick to glare at the criminal. She didn't say a word, but her expression spoke volumes.

In response, Rick punched her again, this time aiming for the low center of her chest. He knew before he heard it that the gasping sound it tore from her was real.

"Where is Thomas Magnum?" he yelled, not waiting for her to regain her breath.

The color had drained from her face, and she swallowed, clearly working hard to get out the words. "I… I'm not—"

Rick's next blow, following in the same spot as the last one, had her bent over and gasping harshly for air as tears leaked from her eyes.

Even counting everything else he'd done and been through in his life, this was definitely one of the worst things Rick had ever had to do. He was placing his blows very deliberately; he knew he was still risking cracking or even breaking a rib or two, but hitting her in the solar plexus was his best hope at making this interrogation look as real as possible while also trying to protect Higgy from being too injured when he was done. He wasn't sure he could bring himself to do much more.

As it was, there was the very real danger of killing someone with a blow to the chest, but he was reasonably certain he could do it so it wouldn't kill her. However, he also knew the impacts to that portion of her chest would still leave her struggling for breath, literally unable to breathe—and, while he didn't even want to do that, he knew it would look bad without him having to do something even worse.

He gave her a moment, as if waiting for her to catch her breath to answer his questions, and then leaned down threateningly. "You know what we want," he hissed. "Where is Magnum right now? And how much do you know about any of this?"

Her breath still catching in her throat, Jules just stared straight ahead as she slowly pulled herself back up to a sitting position, avoiding Rick's gaze altogether.

Rick reached down and roughly tapped her cheek, forcing her attention back on him. "Where. Is. Magnum." He bit out the words as a statement, not a question.

When she still didn't reply, he swallowed and slammed a fist into her chest, in the same place as he'd already hit her twice before. He once again pulled his punch, but, again, it still had the desired effect.

Gasping silently as her lungs struggled for air, Jules hunched forward, her shoulders pulling at a painfully uncomfortable angle against the ropes that held her arms behind the chair. Her chest hitched and her stomach heaved, and Rick was sure she'd have collapsed out of the seat if not for being tied to it.

"Tell me now, or things are going to get even worse for you!" Rick snapped, grabbing her chin again to force her upright.

Higgins swallowed hard, her breathing ragged and her face displaying the pain she was in. But, still, she managed the tiniest shake of her head in reply.

"What do you know about what these men have planned?" Rick barked. He kept his hand on her face, loosening his grip enough to allow her to speak, but he still received no answer.

Trying to appear even more angry and frustrated, Rick shoved her so her back slammed against the chair, then he hit her in the chin. It was as light and glancing of a hit as he could manage to pull off, but that made no difference to the pain gnawing at him as Jules bit off a cry and rocked to the side.

He lifted his arm to hit her again when a hand pulled on his shoulder from behind.

"Whoa, whoa, okay."

Rick turned to see Harris.

The other man raised an eyebrow. "I think that's enough."

Rick tried not to let his relief show on his face. He honestly wasn't sure how much longer he could have kept going if he'd had to prolong the "interrogation." The bruise starting to form past the redness on his friend's cheek, the way her breathing was catching caas she struggled to sit up again, the bruises he just knew would be forming on her chest and stomach… all of it was tearing him up inside.

"You're going to kill her if you keep going like that," Harris said firmly. "I get that you're angry over being tricked, but we need information first."

Swallowing, Rick nodded. "Sorry, man. You're right." He glared at Jules as he rubbed at his sore right hand. A glance down at his split knuckles nearly caused him to break his cover, and he quickly glanced back up. "I got carried away, but don't worry. I can still get what you need."

"No." Murata's words caused both men to look back at the criminals' leader. "You've proved yourself, but I can't have you killing her yet. Why don't you step outside?"

Rick's stomach twisted. He couldn't just leave Higgy at these guys' mercy. "I—"

"Take a walk!" Murata barked when he saw Rick's hesitation.  _ "Now." _

Harris put a hand on Rick's shoulder again and pushed him toward the door. "Come on. You heard him."

Giving Jules a long look, Rick tried to catch her eye to try to communicate how sorry he really was. But she just slumped in the chair, sagging against the ropes as she kept her gaze on the floor. Rick could only swallow the guilt that bubbled up as he took in the way she was panting, the way she was so obviously wincing as she leaned a little more to her left to relieve the pressure on her side.

And then he had to turn and walk out of the room as Harris stayed by his side, and he just hoped he successfully kept the emotions off his face while he left Jules behind.

As they rounded the corner and moved down the hall, Murata's voice rumbled threateningly from behind them, accompanied by a harsh cry of pain from Higgins, and it was all Rick could do not to rush back in and take on every one of the thugs. It was only the thought that he needed to get word to Thomas and find out what was keeping the others so long that kept him going; he and Jules were going to need help if they were going to make it out of this.

Rick forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. He couldn't stop to think about what might be happening back in that room right then. As much as it killed him to admit it, he knew he couldn't hope to do anything by himself; he had to get in touch with the others.

"I get it, man," Harris said, interrupting Rick's thoughts. "Betrayal is rough. But you know Murata needs to know what she knows." It was weird, like the guy was trying to be understanding. That was good, though; it meant Harris thought they were on the same team now.

Nodding, Rick glanced down and swallowed as he once again caught sight of his right hand. It was bruised, and his injured knuckles seemed like they were taunting him for what he had done. "Hey, you have a bathroom around here?" he asked.

"Yeah, right over there," Harris replied with a nod. He gestured toward a door a few yards past where they were standing.

"Thanks," Rick acknowledged. "Be right back." He jogged over to the bathroom and ducked inside, finally letting out a ragged sigh as soon as he'd shut the door behind him. He didn't waste any time, though; he had to let Thomas know how dire the situation was.

Rick was extremely grateful at his good luck that the men hadn't taken his phone off of him. They hadn't taken Higgy's phone, either, come to think of it; apparently, they'd figured it wasn't worth it since there was no way she'd be calling for help. But that was good. It meant they could be easily tracked.

Digging his phone out of his pocket, Rick quickly opened a new text. He couldn't risk making a phone call and having Harris hear him, so he typed out a message as fast as he possibly could, noting with displeasure how much his hands were shaking now that he was alone.

_ 'Get here. Now. Higgy in danger.' _

He sent the message in a group thread to Magnum and T.C., following the text with a location pin. A second text went to Detective Katsumoto, then Rick took another deep breath and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He ran a hand over his face, his thoughts already spinning into overdrive. He needed to get back to Jules and, hopefully, figure out a way to get the other men's attention off of her.

Just in case Harris was waiting right outside, Rick reached over and flushed the toilet, then ran the sink as if washing his hands before swinging open the door and stepping back into the hallway.

Sure enough, Harris was standing nearby, watching the door. "All good?" he asked when Rick emerged.

Rick nodded. "Yeah. I think you were right; I needed a breather." He glanced back in the direction from which they'd come, trying not to seem too eager with his next question. "So, think we should head back now?"

In response, Harris shrugged a shoulder. "You should probably wait 'til Murata tells you to come back," he said. "Don't worry. I've seen him interrogate people before; this Higgins won't be able to hold out for long."

It took everything Rick had to look pleased with the idea and not show the dread that he couldn't protect Jules knotting at his stomach.

"What's wrong?" Harris asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rick's stomach dropped. Had he not looked as convincing as he thought? "I, uh, I'm just upset she tricked me like that," he tried, letting the anger he felt at Harris and Murata and the others bleed through into his tone. "I should've seen it."

"Hey, like I said, I get it," Harris replied, his friendly tone filling Rick with relief. "But don't worry; we'll make sure she pays for what she did."

In the next minute, a shout from down the hall caused Rick and Harris to both turn back toward the main room where Jules was being held. One of the other goons was hurrying over to join them.

"We got a location on Magnum," he announced, looking pleased with being the one to deliver the report.

Rick swallowed and clenched his jaw, unsure what the announcement meant. Surely Higgins had just given the men false information. But, with how she'd been so determined to buy time earlier, what did that mean for her condition now? Was she okay? Had they… he didn't even want to finish that thought. No, she must have a plan, he decided; that had to be it.

"Murata wants you to go with him, Harris," the other man continued. He glanced at Rick. "You're staying here since you're not part of our team yet. Although," he added with a wink, "trust me; Murata was pretty impressed with your commitment back there. I'm pretty sure he'll hire you on after this."

Rick forced himself to nod in satisfaction. "Great."

As Harris jogged off, the goon stuck out a hand to Rick. "Valdez," he offered.

"Woods," Rick replied, returning the handshake.

"Look, no hard feelings, right? Murata's only taking two of us with him; can't have a whole crew busting into that cafe to grab Magnum. That's just asking for trouble."

That information was new to Rick; he wasn't sure where Thomas currently was, although he knew it wasn't a cafe. So what was Jules doing? He knew she had a plan, but he wasn't sure what it was. But he did know he trusted her, so he just nodded and forced himself to give Valdez a grin. "Works for me. I'd rather stay here and help watch her anyway after the way she used me."

Valdez grinned back and nodded as if he understood what Rick meant. "Murata's a fair guy; he'll let you in on it when we get rid of her."

The guy absolutely did  _ not  _ know what Rick meant, and it took everything Rick had not to haul off and take Valdez down right there and then. The leering of the other man's face made Rick angry—more than angry, actually. Livid was probably even an understatement.

"Come on," Valdez said, breaking into Rick's thoughts. "The others headed out already; let's go back in there. Murata left you and me and Turk, who won't mind our company, seeing as how we just gotta watch her until Murata gets back." He shrugged. "Boss wants us to make sure she stays put and keep her alive until he's got Magnum. I think he might have more plans for the two of them after that."

Okay, that was good. Rick could work with that. All he had to do now was take out two guys, and he could do that easily enough. And then he could work on getting Jules out of this mess. He wasn't sure what would happen when Murata didn't find Magnum at whatever cafe she'd sent him to, and he didn't want to wait around to find out.

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Let's go."

When Valdez stepped in front of him, Rick took immediate advantage of the opportunity. He jumped Valdez from behind, wrapping his arms around the man in a chokehold. It was pure luck the other man was shorter than Rick, and he fully utilized the edge that gave him.

Valdez struggled against him, but Rick kept his grip tight and firm. He was focused on rescuing Jules now, and nothing was going to stop him. Dodging the wild swings of Valdez's arms, Rick just held on until, finally, the other man's struggles slowed and then ceased altogether. After another few seconds just to make sure Valdez was fully out, Rick lowered the man's limp form to the floor and then retrieved the pistol from Valdez's belt. Now armed and ready to take on whoever was in the room with Jules, Rick turned and ran down the hall toward the door that led to the others.

He paused in the doorway to take a breath, lowering his arm to keep the gun out of sight behind his right leg, then stepped inside.

The fact that he needed to take care of the other guy in the room before he could help Higgy was the only thing that kept him from focusing on what was wrong with her. Even his quick glance before looking over at the large man leaning against the far wall was almost too much for Rick, but he forced himself to ignore her for the moment.

"Where's Valdez?" Turk grunted the question, raising an eyebrow at Rick.

Rick jerked his head in the direction of the door. "Taking a leak," he lied.

Nodding slowly, Turk watched Rick curiously, as if evaluating his sincerity. "Well, we don't got much to do here," he said a moment later with a shrug. "She ain't goin' anywhere."

"Works for me," Rick commented as carelessly as he could, strolling across the room toward where the other man was standing. He gave Turk a knowing grin. "I mean, after what she did to me? I can't wait to see her get what's coming to her."

Whatever the criminal was about to say in response was cut off as Rick suddenly punched him directly in the chest. Unprepared for the blow—that Rick in no way tried to soften—Turk choked out a gasp as his eyes went wide. But Rick didn't wait before throwing a solid punch across the guy's jaw and sending him slumping to the ground.

It had all gone down without even a sound from Turk, and Rick winced and shook out his hand as he watched to make sure the other man was definitely unconscious. Then he quickly bent down and pulled the gun from Turk's holster, ejecting the magazine and clearing the chamber before tossing it aside and rushing over to the chair where Higgins was slumped.

"Hey, hey, Jules. Can you hear me?" Rick took in the way she was barely focusing on anything, the way her head was drooping even as it seemed she was trying to keep herself awake. The blood trickling from the corner of her mouth and the cuts and bruises spreading across the rest of her face made him wish he would have taken longer dropping the two men.

"Higgy?" He reached the chair and moved to put a hand on her cheek to try to get her to focus on him, pausing at the way she flinched. "It's okay," he told her gently, pulling back as he studied the frightened expression that had spread across her bruised face. "It's me. It's Rick."

"Rick…?" she blinked slowly. She was fading fast, he could tell, and he clenched his jaw.

Rick reached behind her to untie the ropes—the ones  _ he  _ had bound her with, he thought guiltily—and then caught her shoulders as she sank forward at the sudden lack of what had been holding her in place. "I'm so sorry, Jules," he said hoarsely, his eyes searching hers. "Can you walk? We have to get out of here."

She blinked slowly, her eyes not seeming to focus on anything. Even though she was looking at Rick, he could tell she wasn't fully seeing him. "Rick, you… you came back…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm right here. How are you?" He knew it was a dumb question, but he also knew they had to get going before Murata showed back up angry over not finding Magnum.

"I…" She trailed off and looked up at him. "I'm sorry," was all she said before her eyes slipped closed and she fell forward into his arms.

"Jules!" Rick lowered her limp form to the ground, cradling her head gently as he settled her down, then quickly moved to check her condition. He needed to see if she had any broken ribs or any internal injuries before he moved her. They needed to get out, but he also needed to know he wasn't going to make things worse by not realizing how badly she might be hurt.

Gently feeling along her side, he frowned. As best as he could tell, she had at least two cracked ribs. One was near the top center of her ribcage, and he swallowed as his mind vividly supplied memories of just what he'd done not long before. And how many of those bruises already starting to appear on her chin were his fault?

He also had no way to know for sure if there was any internal bleeding, but if she did… He took a deep breath and shook his head. He couldn't afford to think that way. He had to get Higgins to safety; he couldn't let himself think about anything else until then.

"This is gonna hurt, and I'm sorry," he apologized quietly, glancing around to make sure neither Harris nor Turk had woken yet. Seeing no one, he turned back to Jules and slipped an arm under her knees. Then he put the other around her side, doing his best to avoid her upper back where he knew the worst of her injuries were—although he could only imagine what pressure he was still putting on her bruises. "Here we go, okay?"

He shifted her weight in his arms as he pushed to his feet, clenching his jaw tightly at the way her face seemed to pale even more at the movement. Her closed eyelids twitched, and she let out a tiny whimper of pain.

"I got you, Higgy," he whispered, swallowing as he turned for the doorway. "I got you."

He was moving as quickly as he could, trying to hold her as still as possible even while he quickened his place. The door to the parking lot was just another few yards away now, and he glanced down at Jules. The sight of her face now wrinkled in pain, even as she still seemed to be unconscious, sent a fresh wave of guilt washing over him.

And then the sound of the door banging as it flew open drew his head up, and Rick spun to turn his back to the sunlight. He quickly lowered Higgins to the ground in one motion even as he drew the borrowed pistol and swung to point it at whoever had just arrived.

If they tried to get to Jules, they were going to have another thought coming…

"Rick!"

He blinked at the figure stepping inside. It was hard to make out much with the way the sun was casting a shadow over the man—who had his hands raised at the sight of the gun—but Rick immediately recognized the voice.

"Rick, it's me!" Magnum called again.

Rick nearly choked on his sigh of relief. "Tell me you brought an ambulance."

"They're right behind me. Where's—" Thomas broke off his question as his gaze shifted past Rick to the figure lying on the floor.

But Rick didn't stop to answer. He couldn't bring himself to look at the other man. Part of him said Thomas would understand, but the rest of his mind was screaming at him that he'd hurt Higgins—the woman who'd become as much a part of their little family as any one of the three guys were—and Magnum and T.C. would never forgive him for it. Rick honestly wasn't sure he deserved to be.

He dropped to his knees next to Jules, putting a hand on her cheek, searching for any sign she might be waking up. There was nothing, though; her eyes remained closed, her face still pale behind the injuries scattered across it. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and rush her to safety, but he knew it was better to wait for the paramedics to bring in a stretcher. It was okay, though; she would be okay—he hoped. She was safe, at least. Even if Murata and his men showed back up, there was no way they could get to Higgins.

Thomas was next to them both now, asking questions, but Rick could only bring himself to shake his head. He didn't know what he could say anyway.

The next moments were a blur, interrupted only by the sound of sirens filtering through the open doorway. Something in the back of his mind told him it was shock from the adrenaline crash, but he barely had the focus to even notice the thought, much less consider it. Thomas finally had to gently pull him away from Higgins so the paramedics could work.

And then they were both in the Ferrari with Thomas gunning it as fast as he could in the ambulance's wake.

* * *

"Hey." Magnum took a seat next to Rick. They were sitting in the small waiting area near a nurses' station; Higgins' room was just down the hall, but the men had been asked to wait until a doctor had finished checking her over before they were allowed in. "She's going to be okay, thanks to you."

Rick glanced up at his friend's voice, then away as the words registered with him.

The look on Rick's face, a mix of relief and heartbroken guilt, was impossible to miss. "You want to talk about it?" When the other man didn't respond right away, he continued. "You barely said three words in the car. What's going on?"

"I…" Rick glanced away. "She… It's my fault," he blurted.

There was a pause, but Magnum didn't say anything, just waited for Rick to continue. He'd known there had to be more to the story. Higgins had only just started to wake up when the EMTs loaded her onto the stretcher, but, between the injuries Magnum had been able to see and the texts Higgins and then Rick had sent him earlier, it was painfully obvious something with the case had gone very wrong.

Higgy had mentioned something about Daniel Murata and told Magnum to come with backup ASAP—which he had as soon as he'd gotten himself out of a sticky situation in his own case. Nothing life-or-death, but he hadn't exactly been able to come rushing right over. Rick's follow-up message had only served to increase the urgency of the situation, and Magnum honestly hadn't been sure what he'd find when he'd arrived at the warehouse.

"They knew who she was," Rick said, clearing his throat. "And they thought the only reason she was there was that you two knew something about Murata."

"That's not your fault," Magnum was quick to assure his friend, but Rick shook his head emphatically.

"They wanted to know how. And how much she knew," he continued. "So they… they decided to interrogate her." He paused again, then swallowed. "And they thought I was with her, so she… she told them we weren't friends, that she'd hired me as part of her cover and that I was just a merc."

Magnum felt his stomach clench. He had already started to connect the dots based on the injuries he'd seen on his partner and what little Rick had managed to say, and he immediately understood why his friend looked so distraught. He stayed quiet, though, and let Rick take his time to find the next words.

"They wanted me to prove we were telling the truth." Rick glanced at Magnum but then darted his gaze away just as quickly. "And… and she… she told me to do it."

The sound of footsteps nearby had both men glancing up to see T.C. standing nearby. He had just arrived, but it was obvious he'd overheard most of Rick's recent words.

Magnum looked back at Rick, who was now staring distantly at his injured hand. "Rick, you did the right thing."

Rick snorted in reply as T.C. moved over to the other side of him from Magnum and sat down in the plastic chair.

"Thomas is right, you know. If she told you to do it, you didn't have any other choice. Higgy's smart; she knew what she was doing."

"And imagine if you hadn't," Magnum added with a serious nod.

Rick just shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face.

His friends shared a look over his shoulders, but neither had a chance to say anything before a doctor stepped into the waiting area. 

Rick and Magnum immediately jumped to their feet, T.C. not far behind.

"I've finished with the examination, and don't worry. She's going to make a full recovery," the woman in the white coat offered, smiling encouragingly at the three men. "She has two broken ribs and a hairline fracture in another, but we've wrapped them up, and she'll be fine if she stays quiet and lets them heal. She also sustained some severe bruising, but nothing too serious. The thing I'm most concerned about is the bruising to her stomach, so I want to keep her overnight just to make sure there are no internal complications. It seems she was extremely lucky." The doctor looked between them. "I'm only going to allow you in if you don't get her excited."

Magnum nodded quickly. "Of course. Thank you."

"Good." The doctor smiled. "I'll be back to check on her in a little while."

As she walked back down the hall, the three friends exchanged relieved looks, although the guilt still playing over Rick's expression wasn't lost on Magnum.

"See?" T.C. had noticed Rick's hunched shoulders as well. "Our girl's strong; she's going to be fine."

Rick just nodded silently.

Magnum patted his shoulder. "Come on. Let's go see her."

But Rick shook his head at the words. "No, you two should go in. I'll, uh, wait out here for when Kumu arrives." He stepped back toward the chairs.

"Rick, she'll want to see you," T.C. said, but Rick just shook his head again.

"I'm not sure that's true," he replied quietly. Then, before either of the others could argue with him further, he sat down and rubbed a hand over his face. "But can you guys… can you tell her I'm sorry?"

Magnum raised an eyebrow at T.C., and he could tell the other man felt the same sympathy for Rick as was clenching at Magnum's chest just then. "Okay," he told Rick with a sigh. "But you're welcome to come in if you change your mind, you know that, right?"

They knew each other well enough that both Magnum and T.C. didn't push further. Rather than arguing with Rick, they exchanged another long look and then turned for Higgy's room.

Rick watched them go, feeling the urge to rush out of the waiting room, to be anywhere else but the hospital at that moment. He couldn't quite bring himself to leave, though, however much he wanted to. He needed to hear from one of the others that Jules was okay, that he  _ hadn't  _ done anything irreversible. But he also didn't want to wait for one of the others to come out and tell him Jules didn't want to see him and that it would be best if he just went home.

After all, regardless of what Murata's men may have done after Rick had left the room, it didn't matter. He had started it all, and he  _ knew  _ there was no way he'd done what he did to her and  _ not _ have injured her. He'd heard what the doctor had said. How could Jules possibly forgive him? She'd put on a brave front, but she must have been so scared facing what she'd had to alone, feeling betrayed by the fact that Rick had been so willing to hurt her—

"Rick."

He glanced up with a start to see T.C. standing in front of him. Rick swallowed, trying to figure out from his friend's expression what T.C. was about to say but not sure he wanted to know.

"Higgy's asking for you."

Rick shook his head firmly. "No, I… I can't go in there. Not after what I did."

"Rick." T.C. crossed his arms. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get in there."

When Rick still hesitated, the other man sighed. "Look, I get it, but she's literally threatening to get out of bed and come find you. You better go in before she makes herself worse."

The thought of Jules ignoring her injuries to come after him had Rick on his feet in an instant. T.C. chuckled and patted his friend on the back. When they reached the door to Higgins' room, Magnum was just stepping out.

"Gonna go grab a sandwich from the cafeteria," he offered in explanation. "Doc said she could eat if she wants."

T.C. nodded. "I'll come with you."

Rick knew exactly what they were doing, and he gave both of his friends a look. "Do you need—?"

"Man, go see Higgy," T.C. replied sternly.

Realizing he couldn't exactly argue with the way they were both staring him down, Rick took a deep breath and nodded reluctantly. "Right."

And then he was stepping into the room, and the others had disappeared.

"Rick!" Jules exclaimed quietly, and Rick forced himself to look up at her.

She was sitting in the hospital bed, propped up against several pillows. An IV and various wires snaked to various machines around her. The blood that had been on her face before had been cleaned up, and now the dark bruises stood out in contrast to her pale skin.

When their eyes met, she smiled warmly at him. She held out her hand, although Rick immediately noticed her wince at the movement.

He was suddenly intensely aware of the bruising and cut to his right hand, and he hid it behind his back as he swallowed. "Jules, I—"

"Rick," she said firmly, her tone pulling his gaze back up. "I know what you're thinking." She shook her head. "Why on earth would I blame you?"

He frowned. "I… I  _ hurt  _ you. It doesn't matter why. I should have been able to get us out. But instead…" He trailed off with a sigh.

Higgins lifted an eyebrow. "There was no way we were getting out of that alive, not with the way we were so outgunned and surrounded." She shifted, grimacing slightly, and Rick hurried forward to help.

After he had moved the pillows into a more comfortable position and made sure she was settled, he sank into the chair next to the bed. He watched her face to make sure she didn't need any more help, glancing away quickly when she looked back at him.

"I should be thanking  _ you. _ If you  _ hadn't  _ done what you did, we would  _ both _ be dead. I'm just… I'm sorry I put you through that."

Rick looked up at her words, and she chuckled as their eyes met, hiding her wince and quick intake of breath at the way the laugh pulled at her side.

"See? So you have much less reason to be sorry."

Taking a deep breath, Rick ran a hand through his hair. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry it took so long to get you out. I couldn't figure out how to get them to leave long enough for me to get to you."

Higgy smirked mischievously. "I had that covered. And I'm pretty sure they're all behind bars right about now."

When Rick tilted his head in question, she just shook her head. "I knew it would look suspicious if I gave them anything too soon," she explained. "So I held on as long as I could to make it believable before sending them off to Detective Katsumoto's favorite lunch spot, just around the corner from HPD."

"And you figured he'd recognize Murata," Rick observed.

She nodded slowly. "And then I was… I was trying to work myself free because I wasn't sure if they'd taken you with them." She paused and glanced down at the blanket on her lap. "You hadn't come back since Murata had sent you out after… well, after."

Rick felt his stomach drop but let her keep going, which she did after another few moments.

"And then you came back and took out the guy still in the room, and I… I knew we needed to get out, but I just… I couldn't." She shrugged gingerly and looked back at Rick. "And then you got me out, and here we are."

They shared a long look, then Rick cleared his throat.

"I'm… I'm glad you're okay," he said quietly. "Let me know if you need anything. Really, Higgy. Whatever I can do."

She smiled at him. "Same. Thank you, Rick."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and they glanced over to see Kumu bustling in. Magnum and T.C. trailed behind her, both looking a little sheepish.

"Sorry," Magnum mouthed at Rick.

Rick just grinned and shook his head. As Kumu started fussing over Jules, he stood from the chair to give her more room and moved to stand by the other two men.

"Katsumoto called," Magnum said quietly. "They arrested Murata and his men. He said he'd be by later to get your statements."

Rick nodded his thanks and looked back at where Kumu was fixing the blanket spread over the bed. He felt Magnum's hand on his shoulder and finally allowed himself to smile.

The memories of what had transpired that day were still swirling vividly through his mind, and he knew it had to be the same for Jules. It was going to take some time to work past everything that had happened. It had been rough, but, in time, it was all going to be okay. Rick was well aware of how much the day's events were going to impact both him and Higgins, but he also knew that, regardless of how long it was going to take, their friends—their family—would be by their side to help them along the way.


End file.
